WHAT A TRIP - October 15, 2012

Blizzard all the way! Snow 20 feet deep!
Okay no but really this week was crazy busy! One of those weeks where you feel like it's a billion years long but yet speeds by. Does that make sense? Mission time is WARPED. Also, Tracie emailed me again! Wow. I guess I should write her hahahaha.
ALSO A MEMBER OF THE 12 IS COMING TO TALK TO US THIS WEEKEND. I won't go into more but OH YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are so excited. It will be the first time I see our whole mission together. It will be so exciting. I am thrilled. And it will be basically on the temple site for the Phoenix temple which like has all the metalwork or something! Oh wow.
MONDAY: Pday was interesting. Sister Pilcher and I were kind of going up and down for various reasons. We saw Mesa missionaries in Wal-Mart again. I don't know why, but it's always so funny that we grocery shop outside our mission which is so taboo. But we have permission I promise! Then the rest of Pday (our evening proselyting time) was not as productive as it could have been. We met with our ward mission leader and with a member who just moved here from Liberia and she wants her daughter to be baptized. Her daughter's not having any of it but at least was nice.
TUESDAY: Car checks and zone interviews! Elder Rodgers, the senior missionary (so like as in a senior missionary couple assigned here to Phoenix) over cars LOVES ME. Which is so great because I love him too. I won't attribute that to the fact that we beat our Spanish elders and Zone leaders in car inspections, but I'm sure it is. My interview with President was pretty good. A lot like my first interview with him because he mostly just gave me advice on how to balance things. He gave good advice on how I could be a better companion which I've tried to implement. Later that night we had coordination and then met with a wonderful older lady named Barbara. She just moved her from the Mesa mission and is on fire. Haha she's going to be baptized either the 26th or 27th. Poor Mesa missionaries. She is very well-versed and has a doctorate in theology. She loves the Book of Mormon and came to church yesterday. A wonderful lady! She's so funny.
WEDNESDAY: We met with some less-actives and invited them back to renew of their covenants and be happy again. We were knocking doors and found some Jehovah Witnesses who invited us in for like an hour. It almost got heated a couple times, but I didn't have my Bible on me and the Spirit totally left when that happened, so thankfully we left on good terms. Although now I am just more confused than ever on their religion. It doesn't make sense. But they were really nice. Then we had a dinner appointment with some members who invited some people from the ward and their friend who's not a member. We shared a message from Jeremiah 1:5 and how God knows us and loves us and knows our capabilities. Their friend really liked us, and hopefully we'll be able to meet with her soon. The members who had us over were really grateful and excited. And they loved your conversion story Mom and Dad. Somehow I end up sharing that a lot.
THURSDAY: We found a really great view of Phoenix. Turns out downtown Phoenix is not in the Phoenix Mission but in the Mesa Mission. Funny huh? That's all I'm going to say about Thursday.
FRIDAY: I was back in Glendale for exchanges! It was pretty crazy to be back in the last area I left just a few weeks later. Sister Follett was extremely grateful to have me there. I don't feel like I solved any of her many concerns or problems, but I think she at least took comfort in being able to talk to someone and relax a little bit. The Elia family from Iraq are getting baptized on the 20th! And they're inviting tons of people (like their neighbors) to come to church with them! How exciting. Jason is not progressing, but we went by to see him and at least discuss that. He's going through a lot of hard things right now, and that was hard to see. But he was grateful that we came by. It was really amazing to see people continuing to progress and interesting to see how quickly things change.
SATURDAY: One of our investigators named Carlos got married. Then we went to a baptism. That's all for Saturday.
SUNDAY: Long day. It ended nice by the end of the night.
Love y'all so much. Please don't send me any more packages - my guilt is racking my soul.
Love, Sister Parks